2023 Wyoming Spring Game Kicks Off at 2 p.m. Saturday
on Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium
Open Containers Will Be Allowed in the Ford Stadium Lot from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
on Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium
Open Containers Will Be Allowed in the Ford Stadium Lot from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Laramie, Wyo. (April 27, 2023) -- The Wyoming Cowboy Football team will conclude their five weeks of spring practice on Saturday, April 29 when they will host the annual Brown and Gold Spring Game in War Memorial Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. on Saturday and is free and open to the public.
Fans Encouraged to Take Advantage of Tailgating Opportunity and Concessions on Saturday
The Ford Stadium Lot east of War Memorial Stadium will allow for open containers from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Parking on Saturday is on a first-come, first-served basis. Gates to the stadium will open at 1 p.m. with numerous concession options available to fans inside the stadium after 1 p.m. Most concessions will be located in the south end of War Memorial Stadium and some on the west side.
Swag Sale Prior to Saturday’s Spring Game
University of Wyoming Athletics will conduct a SWAG Sale open to the public from Noon to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in War Memorial Fieldhouse just west of the stadium. UW Athletics team apparel, shoes, t-shirts and novelty items will be available for purchase. All sales are final.
Autographs Following the Game
Immediately following Saturday’s game, Cowboy players will be available for autographs in the north end zone.
Season Tickets on Sale
Season tickets for the 2023 Cowboy Football season are on sale now. Fans who have not renewed, as well as fans wishing to purchase new season tickets can go online at GoWyo.com/tickets, call (307) 766-7220 or stop by the UW Athletics Ticket Office on the west side of the Arena-Auditorium. On Saturday, UW Athletics Ticket Office staff will be in the ticket booth on the east side of War Memorial Stadium beginning at 1 p.m. to assist fans interested in purchasing season tickets.
Head Coach Craig Bohl’s Philosophy on the Importance of Holding a Spring Game
Asked what he wants the public to see in Saturday’s Spring Game, Bohl said, “I think it’s important for our players to be able to play in front of our fans. Particularly for a younger player, even though it’s not a game, it gives them a sense of what a game is like. I think it is important for our coaches to be on the sidelines, to have officials, game clock, players in game uniforms.
“You’ll notice that our Spring Game is one of the latest in the country to try and cooperate with Mother Nature and have a decent game with weather. I encourage our fans to come out and take the opportunity to embrace this football team. They’re going to like this team. I personally like it, as well. You’ll see guys play with great energy and class. There will be some unsung hero, probably from the state of Wyoming, who everybody gets fired up about. That is how Big Horn (Will Pelissier) made his splash a couple years ago.
“Thursday’s practice will be in spiders and will be somewhat of a tune-up for the Spring Game. We think it’s still important to have a Spring Game. I know a lot of schools have departed from that and do a showcase, but we think it is still important for players to go out and get the feel of what a game is like and to showcase to our fans and the media our team.”
About the 2023 Wyoming Cowboy Football Team
Wyoming returns an impressive core of veterans from last season’s 7-6 team that finished second in the Mountain West Mountain Division, earned a bid to the Arizona Bowl and defeated rivals Air Force, Colorado State, Hawai’i and Utah State along the way.
Among the returning veterans are all four of Wyoming’s 2022 captains: linebacker Easton Gibbs, defensive tackle Cole Godbout, quarterback Andrew Peasley and tight end Treyton Welch. All four of those Cowboy captains have also earned All-Mountain West Conference honors during their careers.
Including the four team captains from last year, a total of 10 returning Cowboys received All-Conference recognition last season. Among the others are defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole, offensive tackle Frank Crum, defensive end DeVonne Harris, place-kicker John Hoyland, punter Clayton Stewart and center Nofoafia Tulafono.
Hoyland was named Second Team All-American by Pro Football Focus (PFF) in addition to his All-Conference honors and was named one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award that is presented to the nation’s top collegiate place-kicker each season.
Cowboy defensive end Braden Siders is also returning after earning Honorable Mention Freshman All-America honors from College Football News (CFN) last year.
Exciting Seven-Game Home Schedule in 2023
The 2023 University of Wyoming Football season will kick off with a big home game on Saturday, Sept. 2 when the Wyoming Cowboys will host the Texas Tech Red Raiders from the Big 12 Conference in War Memorial Stadium. That game will be the first of seven home games for the Cowboys in 2023.
Of those seven home games, five will be played in the first six weeks of the season. In addition to hosting Texas Tech on Sept. 2, Wyoming will host: Portland State of the Big Sky Conference on Sept. 9, Appalachian State of the Sun Belt Conference (Sept. 23), New Mexico in UW’s Mountain West opener (Sept. 30) and Fresno State (Oct. 7). The only road game in the first six weeks of the season will be at Texas on Sept. 16 in Austin, Texas. The Cowboys other two home games in 2023 will be on Saturday, Nov. 4 vs. rival Colorado State and on Saturday, Nov. 18 vs. Hawai’i.
Keeping with its tradition of bringing exciting non-conference opponents to War Memorial Stadium, Wyoming’s 2023 season opener vs. Texas Tech will mark the most recent in a series of top-level non-conference opponents that Wyoming has hosted over the past 20 years, including: Kansas of the Big 12 (2003), Ole Miss of the SEC (2004), Virginia of the ACC (2007), Texas of the Big 12 (2009), Nebraska of the Big Ten (2011), Oregon of the Pac-12 (2017), Washington State of the Pac-12 (2018), Missouri of the SEC (2019) and now Texas Tech of the Big 12 (2023).
The Texas Tech Red Raiders will be the first Big 12 team to visit Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium since Texas in 2009. The only other time the Red Raiders have played in Wyoming’s War Memorial Stadium was 1991. The Cowboys won that game 22-17. Texas Tech is coming off a 2022 season that saw them post an 8-5 record and defeat Ole Miss in the Texas Bowl to end the 2022 season.
2022 Mountain West Conference Champion Fresno State will visit Laramie on Saturday, Oct. 7. Rival Colorado State will be visiting War Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4 for the 115th edition of the “Border War”. Appalachian State visits Wyoming on Sept. 23. The Mountaineers have pulled off some of the biggest upsets in college football in recent years. Last season, the Mountaineers went on the road and defeated Texas A&M of the SEC in College Station, Texas, by a score of 17-14 and App State nearly defeated North Carolina of the ACC in its 2022 season opener before losing a heartbreaker 63-61.
2023 Wyoming Spring Game Information
Game Time:
•2 p.m., M.T. in War Memorial Stadium, Saturday, April 30
Admittance:
•The Spring Game is Free and Open to the Public
Parking:
•Parking will be Free on Saturday in the Ford Stadium Lot and is on a first-come, first-served basis
Tailgating:
•An open container permit will enable fans to tailgate in the Ford Stadium Lot on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
SWAG Sale Prior to the Spring Game:
•There will be a SWAG Sale of UW Athletics gear on Saturday in War Memorial Fieldhouse just west of War Memorial Stadium from Noon to 2:30 p.m. Team apparel, shoes, t-shirts and novelty items will be available for purchase. All sales are final.
Gates Opening:
•Gates to War Memorial Stadium will open at 1 p.m.
Season-Ticket Sales:
•UW Athletics Ticket staff will be available on Saturday in the ticket booth on the east side of War Memorial Stadium beginning at 1 p.m. for fans interested in purchasing season tickets to the 2023 season.
Concessions:
•When gates open at 1 p.m. on Saturday, fans will be able to purchase food and drink at the Concession Cabin in the Southwest Corner of War Memorial Stadium, as well as vendor locations on the south end of the field and on the west side of the Stadium.
•Roxie’s will be serving beer in the area under the south video board.
•Pizza Hut will be serving food out of its trailer that will be parked at the south end of the stadium.
•Kettle Korn will also be serving at its stand in the south end zone area.
•Doc’s Donuts concession stand will be open under the lower west side.
Merchandise:
•Brown and Gold Outlet’s main store location at the intersection of Grand Ave. and 21st Street just south of War Memorial Stadium will be open on Saturday for any fans wanting to buy merchandise.
Autographs Following the Spring Game:
•Cowboy players will be on the field after the Spring Game to sign autographs for fans.
TJH
